Tuesday, October 29, 2013

In 2013, NOAA Fisheries conducted their first national survey of saltwater anglers’ opinions and attitudes. The results
provide insights into what motivates anglers and what anglers consider to be a successful fishing trip.

In summarizing the report, the number one reason people go fishing is to enjoy time with friends and family. The least important reason given was to catch their limit.

One of the things that struck me in the survey is that less than 40% of the respondents felt that NOAA and/or other fisheries managers had their best interests first when making management decisions.

On the conservation and habitat side, 95% of the people who took the survey feel that providing quality opportunities for future generations is important.

Take the time to read the survey and then hope fishery managers take the time to read it too.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Climate change has resulted in shifts in where and at what depths
many marine species are found. These shifts have not been uniform, and
sometimes have occurred at different rates and in different ways than
expected. The leading explanation for these changes has been biological
differences among species, but a new study suggests that the local
climatic conditions are more likely causing these shifts.

In a study published September 13 in the journal Science, researchers
from the U.S. and Canada suggest that climate velocity – the rate and
direction that climate shifts in a particular region or landscape –
explains observed shifts in distribution far better than biological or
species characteristics.

The team compiled four decades of data from research vessel
surveys of fish and invertebrates conducted around the continental
shelves of North America by NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service
(NOAA Fisheries) and Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO).

The surveys were conducted across nine regions, including the
Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf, Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of Alaska and
Eastern Bering Sea, and off Canada’s Atlantic coast. Covering
approximately 3.3 million square kilometers (just over 2 million square
miles), these areas were sampled using research vessel bottom trawl
surveys that collected 60,394 samples between 1968 and 2011. The
surveys captured 128 million organisms from 580 populations of 360
species or species groups, collectively called taxa.

“This is the first time we’ve combined U.S and Canadian
fisheries data from the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf of Mexico coasts of
North America at this scale,” said study co-author Michael Fogarty, a
fisheries biologist at the Woods Hole Laboratory of NOAA’s Northeast
Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC). “We also sampled a broad range of
ecosystem types, from sub-tropical to sub-Arctic. The shifts in
species distributions were not always intuitive, or what was expected
to happen. For example, individual species like American lobster
shifted north in the northeast U.S., while big skateshifted south on
the West coast, and Pacific cod in Alaska remained essentially the
same.”

Many marine and terrestrial species are not shifting in
response to climate change as expected. To understand why, study
authors measured range shifts, studied regional temperature changes,
and considered geographic constraints. For example, the Gulf of
Mexico has an east-west coastline that prevents a northerly or poleward
shift of species in response to warming ocean waters,. Species there
shifted deeper, into cooler bottom waters.

Previous studies that attempted to explain why the shifts
were occurring at different rates and in different directions than
expected did not have the data necessary to study changes in detail. By
looking at the larger data sets, researchers working on this study
could examine individual species and groups of species within a
geographic region, the temperature range inhabited by each species or
species group, and the impact of temperature changes over time. By
determining the preferred temperature for each species, where the
preferred temperatures moved, and then where the species had moved, the
researchers found that many of the species matched those shifts over
time in what they called "the complex mosaic of local climate
velocities."

Across all taxa, 74 percent shifted latitude in the same
direction as climate velocity, and 70 percent shifted depth in the same
direction. Likewise, 73 percent of shifts to lower latitudes and 75
percent of shifts to shallower water were explained by climate
velocity. Local variations in the environment appear to be a much more
accurate predictor of species shifts than variations in the species
life histories and other factors.

“The world is changing, and that includes the ecology of the
oceans,” said Fogarty, who heads the NEFSC’s Ecosystem Assessment
Program. “Ocean temperatures are not the same from the surface to the
bottom. Study after study show that climate change is affecting global
fisheries, and we need to be aware of the changes and begin adapting to
them.”

The authors suggest that marine species may shift more rapidly
than species on land because there are fewer barriers to dispersal in
the marine environment and species can more completely seek out their
temperature, or thermal, niches. Rapid range shifts, however, will
fundamentally reorganize marine communities, resulting in fisheries
conflicts across borders and challenges to traditional management
approaches.

“We will continue to see shifts in the range of marine
populations, and the shifts will change the ecosystem, those who fish
for these species in the ecosystem inbcluding the coasta lcommunities
supporting the fisheries, and the management systems regulating the
fisheries,” Fogarty said. “We can begin to forecast climate velocities
and use these forecasts as a tool in manging fisheries in the future.”

In addition to Fogarty, other authors of the study include lead
author Malin Pinksy, Jorge Sarmiento and Simon Levin of Princeton
University, and Boris Worm of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova
Scotia, Canada. Pinsky, a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton,
recently joined the faculty at Rutgers University.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

New Zealand mudsnails are small, measuring less than one-quarter inch,
with a long, narrow, coiled shell with deep grooves. Like other aquatic
invasive species, they disrupt ecosystems by rapidly multiplying and
competing with native species for space and food.

The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission confirm that New Zealand Mud Snails are in Spring Creek, Centre County, PA. Biologist with the PA Department of Environmental Protection took samples from the stretch between the state fish hatchery and Bellefonte, PA. Snail experts from South Carolina’s College of Charleston and the
Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum confirmed the findings.

“Based on studies conducted in western U.S. streams, if the population
grows quickly, they could become the dominant organisms in the benthic –
or bottom dwelling – community, upon which many others species depend
for food,” said Bob Morgan, the PFBC’s ecologist who studies aquatic invasive species.
“Because this is the first known occurrence of the New Zealand
mudsnail on the Atlantic slope of the eastern U.S, the effects of the
snail on higher organisms, such as fish, are not certain at this time.”

The mudsnail has spread to Europe, Asia, Australia and North
America. They were discovered in the Snake River in Idaho and Wyoming
in 1987; in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River in 1991; and in
Lake Erie about 4 miles north of Presque Isle Bay in 2007. Additional
populations were found in a small stream near the Niagara River in New
York in 2008 and in another Lake Ontario tributary in 2011.

“Spring Creek is one of the most heavily fished streams in the state,
with anglers travelling to it from all over the world,” added Morgan.
“Given the presence of the mudsnail in other areas of the country, it’s
not surprising they have been found here. As with many aquatic
invasive species, they are nearly impossible to eradicate once
established. This is even more difficult with the mudsnail because it
usually takes only one small snail to be able to produce offspring. But
we must do our best to slow its spread to other waters.”

Anglers and boaters are urged to “Clean Your Gear!” before leaving a water and entering another one.

New Zealand
mudsnails require some specialized disinfection measures. Gear should
be visually inspected and any clinging matter should be removed and
disposed of in the trash. To kill mudsnails, three methods are
effective. Gear can be frozen for a minimum of six hours, or it can be
soaked in hot water - 120°F to 140°F - for five minutes. This last method is not recommended for Gortex.

Also, a 2005 study
by the California Department of Fish and Game showed that mudsnails can
be killed by soaking gear for five minutes in a one-to-one solution of
Formula 409® Cleaner Degreaser Disinfectant and water. After soaking
gear for five minutes, thoroughly rinse it with plain water. Simply
spraying gear with the disinfectant or the mixture does not work. Also,
general cleaners have not been shown to be effective against the
mudsnail.

If you suspect that
you have found New Zealand mudsnail (or any other AIS) in another
waterway, please report your information at: http://fishandboat.com/ais-reporting.htm.
When reporting an AIS sighting it is very important to include as much
information as possible including close-up photos of the organism, the
exact location (GPS coordinates work best), a description of what you
found, and your contact information.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Beginning February 1, 2014 the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is decreasing sporting license fees. This price reduction could increase participation and tourism bringing additional revenue to many of the states rural areas where most of these activities take place.

Another change is that New York will no longer issue licenses on a "season year". The new licensing system will issue individual licenses for 365 days from the date of issue. For example, if a fisherman buys their license on April 1 to fish in the spring that license will be effective until the following April 1. Under current regulations, that same angler would have had to purchase another license in October to fish in the fall as the current "season system" goes from Oct 1 to Sept 30.

Individuals will have to pay closer attention to their own license expiration dates in order to remain in compliance since there will no longer be one common start and end date to the license year. The new system will also make online license purchases easier on the DEC website.

The current license process is confusing due to the number, type and
potential combinations of hunting and fishing licenses. In addition,
fees are presently higher in New York than in many neighboring and
comparable states. The proposal would:

Reduce by 11 the number of licenses available while maintaining all current hunting and fishing privileges and opportunities

Reduce the price of a hunting license by 24 percent from $29 to $22

Reduce the price of a fishing license by nearly 14 percent from $29 to $25

Make fishing licenses valid for one year from the date of purchase

Create a non-resident license structure which is the same as the resident license structure

Fold trapping privileges into the hunting license for no additional fee for certified trappers

Maintain Junior Trapper and Trapper Mentor opportunities

Reduce fees for non-resident hunting and fishing licenses to attract more out-of-state participants

A group of four fishermen are facing felony charges after they were
caught by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)
Officers with 74 striped bass that they had allegedly illegally speared
in waters off Valiant Rock in Block Island Sound, Commissioner Joe
Martens announced today.

In late August, the Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) were
on a routine patrol from Shinnecock to Fishers Island when they observed
three divers with spear guns in hand boarding the fishing vessel Sea
Spearit at Valiant Rock in a shallow area East of Gull Island. Upon
boarding the vessel, operated by Christopher R. Miller of Montauk, the
ECOs found both tagged striped bass and untagged striped bass in
coolers. Some of the tagged fish bore the tags belonging to Mr. Miller;
others were tagged with tags belonging to Mr. Miller's sister, Tanya J.
Miller, who was not present on the ship.

All the fish had spear wounds evident in their gill areas. New York
State Environmental Conservation Law forbids the taking of striped bass
for commercial purposes by spear due to the fact there is a slot size
limit that is hard to determine until the fish are actually in hand, and
that this is considered a much easier way to secure a fish whose
populations have to be managed in order to ensure the continued
viability of the fishing stock.

"Fishing limits were established to maintain a healthy, sustainable
striped bass population and violators of this law will be subject to
arrest and prosecution," Commissioner Martens said. "When individuals
use inappropriate methods to harvest a critical resource like striped
bass, they are depleting the fishing stock and penalizing commercial
fisherman who play by the rules and harvest fish using appropriate
methods."

After ordering the boat back to Montauk, ECOs took possession of the
fish and brought them to the Suffolk County Medical Examiner's Office
for weighing, which determined that the total unlawfully harvested
striped bass weighed 926.5 pounds, valued at $4,632. Felony charges can
be filed in instances where the value of harvested fish exceeds $1,500.

Miller and two of the other divers surrendered on October 4 at State
Police Headquarters in Riverside. Their arraignment date is set for Nov.
4 in Southold Town Court.

A warrant was also issued for Peter J. Correale of New Canaan, CT,
who is presently out of the country and will be charged at a later date.

All three of the individuals who surrendered were charged with a
Class E Felony of taking striped bass for commercial purpose with
prohibited spears in excess of $1,500 in value. They were also charged
with two violations for taking fish out of slot sized and possessing
untagged striped bass.

The individuals facing these charges are:

Ship captain Christopher R. Miller of, Montauk;

Erik A. Oberg of Montauk;

Mica Marder of East Hampton.

Mr. Miller was also charged with a violation for unlawful possession
of striped bass tags and failing to display a dive flag as required by
the NYS Navigation Law.

On October 2, ECOs also caught Miller off of Montauk Point with three
speared striped bass hidden in a compartment on his boat. The total
weight of the fish was approximately 100 pounds with a value well over
the $250 threshold, making this a misdemeanor under the ECL with a
minimum penalty of $5,000.

His court date for this misdemeanor charge is December 4 in East Hampton Town Court.

Individuals spotting illegal activities are encouraged to call DEC's
Environmental Conservation Officers at (631) 444-0250 during business
hours, and 1-877-457-5680 or 1-800-TIPP-DEC at all other times to report
suspected illegal activities.

Friday, October 11, 2013

The
10-year mark of the National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP) and Action
Plan, was commemorated with a resolution passed at the business meeting
of the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) in September
2013.

With this resolution, state fish and wildlife agencies recognize NFHP
as a state-led effort and will work towards increasing support for
implementing the Action Plan, distinguishing its value in furthering the
conservation of fish, wetland and wildlife habitats and enhancing
fishing opportunities for the public.

“This resolution affirms AFWA’s commitment through the states in
supporting the increasing scope of the National Fish Habitat
Partnership. State support of the both the National and individual
partnership efforts is essential for the continuing success of the
initiative and maintaining the National Fish Habitat Partnership as a
state-led effort” said Kelly Hepler, Chair of the National Fish Habitat
Board and Assistant Commissioner, Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game.

The NFHP is working through 18 regionally-based partnerships in 47
states. Many of these partnerships work hand-in-hand with state
agencies and have been instrumental in the success of the work of the
partnerships in conducting on-the-ground conservation activities.

The NFHP is a priority of AFWA’s Fisheries and Water Resources Policy
Committee, and it has received nearly $3 Million in Sportfish
Restoration funding since 2008 through the Multistate Conservation Grant
Program. This funding is used for implementation of Partnership
priorities and to restore aquatic habitat across the country.

AFWA’s NFHP resolution is complementary to a Memorandum of
Understanding recently signed by the U.S. Departments of the Interior,
Agriculture and Commerce underscoring their commitment to the NFHP and
implementing the National Fish Habitat Action Plan and, reporting their
activities annually to each Department’s Secretary.

Scientists from sportsmen’s organizations favorably review report that will guide development ofa new rule clarifying the Clean Water Act’s role in safeguarding ‘waters of the United States’

A recently released report by the Environmental Protection
Agency fairly and accurately documents the connectivity of wetlands and
streams to downstream waters, according to a panel of prominent aquatic
scientists who discussed the report’s findings in a conference call
today. These wetlands and streams support a range of fish and wildlife
species as well as sportsmen’s ability to access high-quality hunting
and fishing opportunities.

Titled “Connectivity of Streams and Wetlands to Downstream
Waters,” the EPA report will guide development of a soon-to-be-release
rule clarifying the federal Clean Water Act’s role in safeguarding the
so-called “waters of the United States.” According to the EPA, the
report represents the state of the science on the connectivity of waters
in the United States. According to sportsmen, the report and related
rulemaking play a key role in conserving the streams and wetlands
important to all Americans, especially hunters and anglers.

“The report is a very good synthesis of the science that
riparian and floodplain wetlands are, as a category, physically,
chemically and biologically connected with rivers,” said Scott Yaich,
director of conservation programs with Ducks Unlimited and a participant
in today’s call.

“However, with respect to what the EPA calls
‘unidirectional wetlands,’ which includes wetlands as diverse as the
prairie potholes of the Dakotas, the Carolina bays of the East Coast and
the playa lakes of Texas and the southern Great Plains, their
scientists were – not surprisingly – unable to draw a broadly applicable
conclusion,” Yaich continued. “Nevertheless, the science that was
compiled demonstrates that a great many of these wetlands are connected
to and have significant impacts on downstream waters.”

With the September release of this report and the
rulemaking, the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers opened a new chapter –
and in the view of sportsmen a welcome chapter – on the issue of
wetlands and streams management. This includes the opportunity to
resolve inconsistencies resulting from conflicting Supreme Court
decisions concerning what constitutes the “waters of the United States” –
and therefore which wetlands and streams the federal government has
jurisdiction to regulate – and subsequent agency guidance.

“Overall I was pleased with the depth and breadth of the
report in its review of the physical, chemical, and biological
connections between headwater streams and downstream water bodies,” said
Helen Neville, Ph.D., a research scientist for Trout Unlimited who
spoke during the teleconference. “Working primarily in the arid West, I
can’t over-emphasize the importance of small, connected and healthy
headwater streams for a unique, iconic Western native trout species like
the Lahontan cutthroat trout, and I commend the report authors for
thorough science review of stream connectivity.”

“The report is correct in saying that the effects of small
water bodies in a watershed need to be considered in aggregate,” said
Joy Zedler, Aldo Leopold professor of restoration ecology, Botany
Department and Arboretum, University of Wisconsin-Madison, who also
participated in the scientist forum. “Wetlands are essential to the
physical, chemical and biological integrity of watersheds precisely
because they work together to cleanse the water, abate the floods,
recharge water supplies and store carbon. And we should not forget the
ways in which aggregated wetlands serve biodiversity. This is especially
true throughout the Prairie Pothole Region.”

“Simply put, the Clean Water Act cannot work well if there
is confusion about which waters are protected by its provisions and
which are not,” said moderator Steve Moyer, vice president for
government affairs at Trout Unlimited. “Key to answering this central
water policy question is the science documenting the roles played by
headwater streams and wetlands – resources that are central to fish,
wildlife and our nation’s invaluable sporting traditions – in the health
of rivers, lakes and bays downstream.”